


What Happens in Theed

by Petralice



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Cute, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romantic Fluff, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Shore Leave, Thranto, Touching, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2020-05-12 03:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petralice/pseuds/Petralice
Summary: Thrawn and Eli take shore leave on Naboo. Fluff ensues. (I take requests!)





	1. Getting There

“How’d you manage this?”

“Forgive me if I am using the phrase incorrectly, but I ‘have a few tricks up my sleeve,’ as it were.” The Chiss cocked his head at the grin that bloomed, flower-like and involuntary, across Eli’s face. “Was that the proper idiom?”

“Yeah, it was.” Eli couldn’t begin to imagine what “tricks” Thrawn had up his sleeve (favors called in, maybe, or little gifts from superiors who liked the non-human, if only in secret). It didn’t matter, really. Shore leave was shore leave, and in a military that granted it so rarely, Eli took what he could get.

Even if it was as Thrawn’s aide.

Maybe someday he could actually do something by himself for once.

“Where is it?” Eli asked, pushing the thought aside as he had many times. He’d do anything for a chance to sink his feet into the sand and hear the cries of seabirds over rolling waves, and maybe even feel the sun directly on his skin and not through the fabric of a uniform!

Thrawn pulled out his data pad and started to scroll, the red glow of his eyes softening. “I had the choice of several planets, and several locations within those planets—” _How?_ “—though ultimately, I chose the capital city of Theed on the planet Naboo.” He turned the pad around, and the sight of the blue-green domes of what appeared to be a palace overlooking a cliffside dashed any visions of beach relaxation Eli had harbored.

“It’s beautiful,” Eli said, though clearly not as enthusiastically as Thrawn had hoped.

“Have I made the wrong choice?”

He put some ardor into his voice, perturbed by the slight slump in Thrawn’s shoulders. “I didn’t mean it like that! It really is beautiful. I think I just had some preconceived notions about what ‘shore leave’ was.” He trailed off into a mumble. “Like…that there would be a shore involved.”

Thrawn turned the data pad’s screen back to face him, his brow noticeably tighter. “Naboo, especially in Theed, venerates peace, beauty, and fine art. There is a rich history and a vibrant culture to be explored there. I thought it would be a change to the dark metal of the inside of Imperial ships.”

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like a dream.” Eli reached out to put his hand on Thrawn’s shoulder, thought better of it, and crossed his arms. He met Thrawn’s gaze with what he hoped was a warm smile. “Don’t worry. You’ve sold me. It’s gonna be great.”

Thrawn’s eyes hovered on that smile for a few moments. Then his own lips turned up a little, and he went back to scrolling through pictures of Naboo, his obvious anticipation growing with each one he brought up to show Eli. Facts about Theed poured from him, and Eli raised his eyebrows as he realized this was the first time he had ever seen Thrawn this openly passionate about anything. It really did mean a lot to him.

It was infectious. “When can we leave?” asked Eli as his own excitement swirled in his chest.

When Thrawn looked up from the pad, he was almost beaming. “There is a shuttle waiting for us now. I have already packed my things; after you pack yours, we can leave immediately.”

*

Naboo lost none of its verdant color as the shuttle lowered into the atmosphere. There was no lack of sunshine glinting and flashing up into Eli’s eyes off the surface of Theed’s waterways. He was sure Thrawn would drag him off to every art gallery, museum exhibit, and historical building he could research, and to his own quiet surprise, he wasn’t upset about any of it. It didn’t even rattle him when he found only a single room had been booked for the two of them, not after he saw how elegant and plush it was (especially after the stiff, plain quarters he was used to; besides, he’d shared a room with Thrawn before). It had wide floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the sun through sheer curtains, it had a balcony overlooking the city with a canal that flowed directly beneath, it had the biggest bed Eli had ever seen sitting in the center—

—There was only one bed.

They considered this for a second or two.

“Is this standard Imperial procedure for shore leave?” Eli muttered.

Thrawn put a hand on the mattress and pressed down. “It seems comfortable,” he admitted, “and there are many pillows, both on the bed and among the room’s furniture. If it makes you feel more at ease, we could line up some of them in the middle to prevent us from accidentally touching each other during sleep.”

The thought of falling asleep back-to-back with Thrawn sent the strangest sensation radiating through Eli, but what he said was, “You don’t have to go through all that trouble. It’s fine.” He smiled despite himself. “Don’t expect me to rock you to sleep, though.”

Thrawn had no reply to that. He had discovered that behind the curtains, one of the windows had a latch on it and could be opened as a door to the balcony. The window swung out with not so much as a creak of hinges, and the curtains danced around Thrawn in the sudden breeze, silhouetting him through translucent sheets of white. The wind took a few strands of his hair and sent them fluttering down around his forehead. His eyes smiled more than his mouth did.

“Yes, this will do,” Thrawn murmured.

“I guess it will,” said Eli entirely to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kicking this off with something short to get us started!
> 
> I'm planning on making this a series focused on Thrawn and Eli awkwardly flirting all around Theed (and maybe other places on Naboo). Let me know if you want to see something in particular, and I'll see what I can come up with as long as it's between G and PG-13. Enjoy!
> 
> Planned chapters:  
> Horseback riding, but make it Naboo  
> gOnDoLaS  
> "You can borrow my shirt"  
> Eli gets an anime beach episode  
> Gungan encounter  
> Falling asleep next to each other


	2. Change of Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thrawn and Eli slip into something more comfortable.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna get dressed.”

“Dressed?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to go walking around Theed in an Imperial uniform.” Eli knit his brow in fake concern. “Is…that what you were planning on doing?”

“I planned on purchasing local clothing,” said Thrawn as if that were the most natural, obvious choice. “I supposed I would have to go in uniform at first, but given my skin and eye color, I knew I would draw attention anyway.”

“True. Suit yourself.”

Eli turned to the bathroom (giving the single bed a cursory glance; he figured by the time they went to sleep he’d be so tired that the lack of a second bed wouldn’t bother him at all) and took a change of clothes with him.

Back on Lysatra he hadn’t paid much attention to fashion. If he hadn’t been wearing somewhat stuffy-looking business outfits to make good impression with the aliens his family traded with, he was handling or categorizing shipping crates in something comfortable. He’d brought mostly the latter with him in case he got to lounge around out of uniform at some point. It had been wishful thinking before, and now that he could actually do it, the white v-neck shirt, walking shoes, and dark blue pants felt almost strange on him.

Thrawn’s eyes flickered when Eli came out of the bathroom.

“What?” huffed Eli, self-conscious.

“It is alright,” assured Thrawn. “It is not a…a ‘big deal.’ But the men of Naboo wear tunics and boots, much like Imperials.”

“Well…I guess you’ll have to pick out an outfit for me, if you’re concerned about it.”

“I am not concerned. But I would still like that.”

Eli barked a short laugh to cover up the sudden tightness in his throat. He shuffled a foot and said, “If you don’t have a change of clothes, I can give you some of mine. You’re bigger and taller than me, so they might be too small, but at least you won’t stay in that uniform any longer than you have to.”

It occurred to him then that Thrawn might actually be most comfortable when he was in a military uniform, but the Chiss gave him a small smile.

“I appreciate the gesture,” Thrawn said, and left it at that.

“Oh. Let me dig around.”

He rummaged through his things and gave him a handful of clothes. When he emerged from the bathroom, his uniform draped neatly over one arm, Eli couldn’t stop a little gasp from popping out of his mouth.

He’d given Thrawn one of the very few outfits he had worn if he wanted to go out with his friends or wanted to impress a girl he liked, since he knew the buttons on the shirt would give him some room to breathe. What he hadn’t accounted for was how built the Chiss was. It seemed he was just as big, if not slightly bigger, than he’d been when they first found him, and he’d been unable to properly fasten the black-and-white gingham button-up, creating a neckline that plunged down damn near his belly button. Likewise, the pants verily creaked to bursting with leg muscles that Eli just didn’t have.

“We’ll attract attention, all right,” stammered Eli once he found his voice.

“I do still appreciate the gesture,” Thrawn said, all coolness and regality in his ridiculously tight clothing. He maintained a military posture, making him look that much more out-of-place, but Eli didn’t dare laugh.

Actually, he wasn’t feeling much like laughing at all.

“Now that we’re the two most conspicuously foreign people on the planet,” he said, running his hands through hair that honestly needed a trim, “should we go?”

“Ah, yes. I have a full itinerary in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thrawn got them mooscles
> 
> What should the boys go do next?


	3. Angery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which that Naboo couple is lucky Thrawn is holding Eli back. Also in which Eli gets progressively thirstier.

Eli hadn’t even asked Thrawn what he’d had in mind, choosing instead to follow him wordlessly down into the hotel lobby. It would be a day full of museum trips and historical site guided tours, of that he was sure. The enthusiasm that had bled into Eli had started to wear off now that they were actually going out into the city. At least he’d be avoiding staring at a screen for the next few days, and he wouldn’t have to talk work unless Thrawn brought it up. He just wished he could have spent it with…literally anyone else but him.

He squinted into the sun as they exited the hotel, trailing his blue-skinned superior toward what he assumed was a public transportation stop to take them to the city center. _Oh, he isn’t really that bad,_ he tried to convince himself as they stood under a small overhang for shelter from the sun, Eli clearly less nonplussed about the stares they got than Thrawn was. The alien was ambitious, hard-working, and intelligent as any of his peers. But he wasn’t that much fun. Who chose Theed for shore leave, something Imperials so rarely got nowadays? And Eli had seen so much of Thrawn lately that the sight of him was starting to do something strange to his chest, his face. Maybe he was allergic to the Chiss.

A snort brought Eli’s attention back to the present. A creature that must have been over three meters tall approached the overhang, its mottled tan-brown skin heaving with effort as it pulled a carriage meant for a dozen or so beings behind it. It wiggled its ears and stomped one leathery, clawed foot when it stopped before them, snorting again through wide nostrils.

“Ah, the falumpaset is here,” Thrawn noted. The word sounded odd coming through an accent like his.

“I guess so,” said Eli with raised eyebrows.

They boarded the carriage. All the seats had been filled, leaving only standing room. Thrawn joined Eli near the back after he had exchanged credits with the driver and talked to him for nearly a minute.

“What was that about?” asked Eli, shuffling back a little as Thrawn pressed his muscled arm into Eli’s. Such proximity was so they could make room for other people to stand, but it still made him feel, well, uncomfortable. Yes, discomfort. That was what he was feeling.

Thrawn reached up and wrapped a hand around the overhead bar for balance. “The driver was willing to go off-route for the right price,” he clarified.

“Off-route? Where are we going?”

“You will see.”

Thrawn smelled nice. The thought hit him before he could stop it. He cleared his throat and shuffled again, the fabric of Thrawn’s shirt rubbing against the skin of his arm.

The carriage jerked as the falumpaset started to move again, groaning with the new weight it had to carry. Eli made an involuntary sound of surprise at the movement.

“Are you alright?” asked Thrawn.

“Yeah, you?”

“I am.”

“Good.”

The man hadn’t moved at all, just tensed his muscles up and stayed stock still where Eli had nearly fallen into the lap of the lady sitting beside him. Eli resolved to start working out more often. Maybe he would join Thrawn sometime, ask him what he did differently in the weight room. The mental image of Thrawn lifting weights was making him feel weird again. He looked out the carriage’s circular windows and tried to focus on the passing architecture.

“What is that blue thing supposed to be?” came a loud feminine whisper from beside Eli.

Eli stiffened.

“What, the Pantoran?” answered a man in just as loud of a whisper.

“That’s not a Pantoran. It doesn’t have any tattoos. And look at its eyes!”

“Huh. What a weird-looking species. I wonder if he knows he looks evil.”

“And what is he wearing, checkered rags? They don’t even fit. I can see everything.”

“Some species just don’t have any class.”

“You know,” snapped Eli, whipping to face the Naboo couple, “for a people that supposedly put art and beauty at high priority, you guys are a bunch of kriffing wastoids.”

The couple stared open-mouthed at him before the woman exclaimed, “Well, I never!”

“Never what? Never learned to be polite? Or just never learned how to shut your mouth?”

A blue-skinned hand on Eli’s shoulder kept him from leaping at the couple straight away as the carriage slowed to another stop. He remained stiff and fuming as the couple exited. He sat down sharply in their open seats, shoving his hair out of his face and trying not to feel the many eyes on him.

Thrawn sat more smoothly beside him. “That was unnecessary,” he said, though not with anger.

“Did you hear what they were saying about you? I’m tired of people doing that wherever you go.”

“Nothing can be done about it. We knew we would catch eyes, and we have. I prepared myself for it before we arrived.”

“You just shouldn’t have to. That’s all.”

Thrawn’s smile was wistful. “If only more people were like you.”

Eli made to reply, but found he had nothing to say. He kept his eyes on his lap as the carriage swayed around him, wondering why he cared so much. When people insulted Thrawn within the military, those were his own people, and Eli was usually attached to it, but when they were just on some random planet on vacation…well, only his own people could get away with talking poodoo about Thrawn. He couldn’t bear to let anyone abuse him just for the way he looked. It was an outrage.

People came and went, and some continued to point and whisper about the strange alien man beside him, but none of them spoke loud enough for Eli to hear exactly what they said. The sound of the falumpaset’s footsteps softened as the ground changed from stone to hard-packed dirt, and still Eli kept his head down. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at the buildings as they passed by, as much as Thrawn probably wished he would.

Wait, dirt?

He finally looked up to find that they were the only two in the carriage. Instead of buildings, trees stood tall and proud outside the windows, casting dappled shadows into the carriage. He could still hear the sounds of civilization, so he knew they hadn’t left the city, but they must have been somewhere near the outskirts by now.

“I thought we were exploring Theed?” mused Eli.

“We are still in Theed.”

“But I thought we were going to go see some kind of art exhibit or something.”

“Art is not only statues and paintings,” said Thrawn sagely.

Eli was about to snort in derision when the falumpaset parted a curtain of leaves with its snout, tossing its head and calling out as the leaves tickled its hide. The leaves shimmered green and hung down from two trees growing opposite each other, their branches entwined high above in such a complicated way that it was impossible to tell which branches belonged to which tree. The garlands of leaves caressed the sides of the carriage as if welcoming it into some secret, long-forgotten grove, murmuring greetings and sweet nothings only the wind could understand. Eli was spellbound.

“Welcome to the Royal Guarlara Breeding Farm,” Thrawn announced as they broke free of the leaves and into a clearing filled with near-endless grass, a view of mountains rolling far away, and a domed wooden building standing alone but distinguished at the end of the path. The carriage was beginning to slow as it approached.

“Welcome to the _what_.”

“The Royal Guarlara Breeding Farm.”

“I—Why are we here?”

“Only the Naboo monarchy are permitted to ride the guarlaras, but I have connections that will allow us to get a sample of how the royals live. The monarchy keeps the prized guarlaras at the palace stables, but they are bred here first.”

He wanted to ask how he got those connections again, but he figured it was probably the same way Thrawn had gotten to choose where they could take shore leave in the first place. Great. He’d never been able to predict Thrawn, but he would have absolutely never guessed that the first thing he’d want to do on Naboo was visit a really fancy farm.

They stopped in front of the domed building. Though a natural wood brown, it had been fashioned to imitate the marble-and-jade architecture of the Royal Palace, sweepingly beautiful despite the smell and noise of animals no doubt kept inside and behind it.

“Guess we should head inside, then,” Eli said, his eyes following the building’s pillars and decorative carving. “Oh, I wish we were wearing different clothes. I don’t feel dressed right for this.” Then he looked at Thrawn, nearly bursting out of his outfit, and said sheepishly, “I know you must feel even more out-of-place than usual in those.”

“Feeling out-of-place has become the norm for me,” Thrawn shrugged.

“Okay then,” he nodded, “onward we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to write something for this after the egregious lack of Thrawn-Eli interaction in Treason (I love Ar'alani, and I love Faro, but I was really hoping it would be more like the first book and...oh well).
> 
> Next chapter: Naboo horseback riding! Well, guarlara riding. It's horseback riding.


End file.
